(WASHINGTON) — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared on Tuesday to be backing off her threat to force a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson this week, though she signaled that she’ll preserve her threat indefinitely — keeping Johnson on a tight leash as he navigates a one-vote majority in the chamber.
The development comes after Greene and Johnson met on Tuesday afternoon — their second meeting in as many days. The meetings came after Greene said she would force a vote to remove Johnson from the leadership post this week.
“I will tell you one thing I did say in there: I am so done with words,” Greene told reporters on the House steps Tuesday afternoon after the meeting with Johnson. “For me, it is all about actions. And that is all the American people care about.”
Ahead of the meeting with Johnson on Tuesday, Greene shared her list of demands for the speaker. Her four requests included a return to the “Hastert Rule,” which means no legislation is brought to a vote without the support of the majority of the majority party; no more funding for Ukraine; defund the special counsel’s probe into former President Donald Trump; and avoid a government shutdown before the election by passing a continuing resolution to automatically enact a 1% spending cut.
Greene said she is not imposing a deadline for Johnson to comply with her four “suggestions.”
“These are not complicated things that we’re talking about, and having the majority of Republicans support for bills that are brought to the floor. Yeah, that’s very reasonable,” Greene said. “It’s really simple. It’s up to Mike Johnson to be our Republican speaker. And we’ll see what he does. And again, it’s actions for me.”
Greene said she did not provide the speaker with a specific timeline on the demands, but said “it’s pretty short.”
”That’s up to Mike Johnson and it can’t drag out,” she said. “These are things that have to be done.”
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, Greene’s chief ally in the quest to oust Johnson, said the speaker has been open to the four demands, “but the question is what is he going to do to show that he is moving in that direction.”
At the weekly GOP news conference on Tuesday, Johnson didn’t rule out Greene’s request to defund the special counsel’s probe into Trump.
“We’re looking very intently at it because I think the problem has reached a crescendo,” Johnson said.
Johnson has already passed government funding, aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and even a federal surveillance extension — meaning that the House is mostly void of must-pass legislation. That gives Johnson the space to advance other Republican-led efforts as the next appropriations battle nears.
Greene has criticized Johnson for working with Democrats on several of those pieces of legislation. Johnson has fought back, saying he’s a lifelong Republican, but must do his job to serve the entire House with an extremely thin Republican majority.
The Georgia congresswoman said last week she was moving ahead with her ouster effort despite pushback from many Republicans and a statement from Democrats that they would step in to help save Johnson. Trump has also weighed in on Greene’s move to oust Johnson.
Trump spoke privately to Greene over the weekend and urged her to drop her push to oust Johnson, a source close to the president confirmed to ABC News. During their discussion, Trump told Greene that the party needs to be unified, according to the source.
The former president’s team has mulled over how best to show support for Johnson. Trump brought Johnson on stage at the RNC spring retreat luncheon over the weekend and praised him “for his leadership and work in the US House,” emphasizing “the need for party unity, collaboration, and expanding the GOP’s House Majority,” according to the campaign.
ABC News’ Arthur Jones II and Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance filed a lawsuit against the federal government Tuesday over what it called an “unconstitutional” potential ban of the social media platform in the United States.
In the lawsuit, TikTok and ByteDance claim the law signed by President Joe Biden last month — which would force the company to sell the platform to a non-Chinese company in nine to 12 months or face a ban in the U.S. — violates users’ First Amendment rights.
“For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than 1 billion people worldwide,” the company said in its 65-page petition filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which was part of a massive, $95 billion foreign aid package passed by Congress, on April 24.
The White House did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
The president and some congressional leaders have argued that the ultimatum against TikTok was necessary because of security concerns about ByteDance and its connections to the Chinese government.
ByteDance refuted those allegations in its lawsuit, arguing there has been no tangible evidence that the app poses any security risk.
“Congress itself has offered nothing to suggest that the TikTok platform poses the types of risks to data security or the spread of foreign propaganda that could conceivably justify the act,” it said in the lawsuit.
In previous statements, as the bill made its way through Congress, TikTok slammed the renewed efforts behind divestment, saying at the time: “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the window to sell the company is not possible “commercially, technologically or legally.”
ByteDance is seeking for the court to make a judgment that the act violates the Constitution and enjoin Attorney General Merrick Garland from enforcing it, according to court documents.
Some social media influencers, business owners and other TikTok supporters criticized a ban on the app in the U.S., claiming they would lose a major platform for their businesses.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll released Tuesday, however, showed that the majority of Americans are in favor of the ban.
About 53% of Americans support a ban on TikTok if it’s not sold to a non-Chinese company, while 44% are opposed to the ban, according to the poll.
Roughly 51% of Americans say the U.S. government should try to force a sale of TikTok while 46% say it should not, the poll found.
ByteDance filed a lawsuit against Montana in May 2023 when it issued a similar ban, arguing it violated First Amendment rights. In November, a federal judge ruled in favor of TikTok and blocked the law before it took effect.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden denounced what he called a “ferocious surge” of antisemitism in America and the atrocities committed by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel in a speech at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.
His keynote remarks were part of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum ceremony marking the Days of Remembrance to honor the memory of the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust as well as other victims of Nazi persecution.
“Never again simply translated for me means never forget,” Biden said before a crowd of Holocaust survivors, Jewish Americans and lawmakers gathered in Emancipation Hall.
“Here we are not 75 years later but just seven and a half months later, and people are already forgetting,” Biden said. “They’re already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror. It was Hamas who brutalized Israelis. It was Hamas who took and continues to hold hostages. I have not forgotten, nor have you. And we will not forget.”
The high-profile remarks came at a fraught political moment, as a possible Israeli invasion of Rafah looms and college protests against the war in Gaza are unfolding across the U.S.
Biden has faced criticism from Republicans and Democrats as he’s tried to balance unwavering support for Israel’s security with sympathy for the Palestinians killed and suffering in Gaza.
But his message Tuesday largely focused on his staunch support for Israel and condemnation of the atrocities against Jews witnessed on Oct. 7 as well as the harassment of the community in the months since — including incidents on college campuses, propaganda on social media and more.
“To the Jewish community I want you to know I see your fear, your hurt, your pain. Let me reassure you as your president, you’re not alone,” Biden said. “My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad even when we disagree.”
At least 1,700 Israelis have been killed and 8,700 others injured by Hamas or other Palestinian militants, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since Oct. 7, Israeli military operations have killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza and injured more than 78,000 others, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
Biden did not directly comment on Gaza or the humanitarian crisis unfolding for Palestinians in his speech. On campus protests, Biden again emphasized the right to free speech but spoke out against instances were Jewish students have been “blocked, harassed or attacked while walking to class.”
“I understand people have strong belief and deep convictions about the world,” he said. “In America, we respect and protect the fundamental right to free speech, to debate and disagree, to protest peacefully and make our voices heard.”
“But there is no place on any campus in America [or] any place in America for antisemitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind whether against Jews or anyone else,” Biden continued.
Tuesday’s remembrance ceremony also featured remarks by House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Biden’s faced heavy criticism from Republicans over the campus unrest, with many conservative lawmakers blasting his response as insufficient. Overall, GOP lawmakers have seized on the protests to further their narrative of “chaos” under the Biden administration and to show their strong support for Israel.
Johnson used his remarks to continue criticism of the campus unrest, going so far as to compare them to antisemitic activity at German institutions of higher learning during World War II.
“We remember what happened then and now today we are witnessing American universities quickly becoming hostile places for Jewish students and faculty,” he said. “The very campuses which were once the envy of the international academy have succumbed to an antisemitic virus.”
“Now is a time for moral clarity and we must put an end to this madness,” Johnson said.
Jeffries said antisemitism and other forms of hate speech was not a “Democratic issue or Republican issue” but “an American issue.”
“We must crush antisemitism along with racism, sexism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia and all other forms of hatred together,” Jeffries said.
The White House on Tuesday also announced new actions intended to combat the rise in antisemitism, including on college campuses.
They include directing the Department of Education to issue new guidance to school districts and universities providing examples of antisemitism and other forms of hate that trigger Title VI investigations; the creation of a website by the Department of Homeland Security and partners that includes campus safety resources; and working with technology firms to address antisemitic content online.
“We’ve seen a ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and around the world,” Biden said in his speech, adding it is “absolutely despicable and it must stop.”
(WASHINGTON) — Ahead of her meeting with Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shared her list of demands for the speaker amid her push to oust him from the House’s top job.
Greene’s four requests — which she said were “simple and easy for Mike Johnson to follow” in a post on X — include a return to the “Hastert Rule,” which means no legislation is brought to a vote without the support of the majority of the majority party; no more funding for Ukraine; defund the special counsel’s probe into former President Donald Trump; and avoid a government shutdown before the election by passing a continuing resolution to automatically enact a 1% spending cut.
“It would be a huge win for our Republican majority, and most importantly a huge win for the people who gave it to us,” the Georgia Republican wrote on X of the demands.
Johnson and Green are set to meet for a second time on Tuesday afternoon after Johnson said he had a “a lengthy, constructive meeting” with both Greene and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie on Monday. The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, came as Greene has said she will force a vote to remove Johnson from the leadership post this week.
Johnson said his series of meetings with Greene and Massie are “not a negotiation.”
“It’s not a negotiation at all. What we’re trying to do and what my job is, is to every day improve processes, procedures, our policy preferences, or legislation and make sure that we can build the right consensus to get everybody together,” Johnson said at the weekly GOP news conference on Tuesday.
Asked if he would defund the special counsel’s probe into Trump, as Greene requested, Johnson did not rule it out.
“We’re looking very intently at it because I think the problem has reached a crescendo,” Johnson said.
For the first time publicly, Johnson said he intends to remain the leader of the House Republican Conference in the future.
“I intend to lead this conference in the future, and the most important thing we have to do right now is govern the country well, show the American people that we are — and that’s what we have been doing,” Johnson said.
Asked by ABC News on Monday if she plans to move forward with a motion to vacate, Greene said she will “have more information” after the meeting on Tuesday.
The Georgia congresswoman said last week she was moving ahead with her ouster effort despite pushback from many Republicans and a statement from Democrats that they would step in to help save Johnson. Trump has also weighed in on Greene’s move to oust Johnson.
Trump spoke privately to Greene over the weekend and urged her to drop her push to oust Johnson, a source close to the president confirmed to ABC News. During their discussion, Trump told Greene that the party needs to be unified, according to the source.
The former president’s team has mulled over how best to show support for Johnson. Trump brought Johnson on stage at the RNC spring retreat luncheon over the weekend and praised him “for his leadership and work in the US House,” emphasizing “the need for party unity, collaboration, and expanding the GOP’s House Majority,” according to the campaign.
Greene has criticized Johnson for working with Democrats on several key pieces of legislation — including keeping the government open and providing foreign aid. Johnson has fought back, saying he’s a lifelong Republican, but must do his job to serve the entire House with an extremely thin Republican majority.
“I would really like to advance much more of our conservative policy on a daily basis here. But the reality is we are working with the smallest majority in U.S. history with a one-vote margin,” Johnson said.
ABC News’ Arthur Jones II and Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump spoke privately with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over the weekend and urged her to drop her push to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, a source close to the president confirmed to ABC News.
During their discussion, Trump told Greene that the party needs to be unified, according to the source.
The former president’s team has mulled over how best to show support for Johnson. Trump brought Johnson on stage at the RNC spring retreat luncheon over the weekend and praised him “for his leadership and work in the US House,” emphasizing “the need for party unity, collaboration, and expanding the GOP’s House Majority,” according to the campaign.
Johnson and Greene are set to meet again Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. after Johnson said he had a “a lengthy, constructive meeting” with both Greene and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie on Monday. The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, came as Greene has said she will force a vote to remove Johnson from the leadership post this week.
“We are going to keep this team together and work for the American people,” Johnson said on Monday.
Asked by ABC News if she plans to move forward with a motion to vacate, Greene said she will “have more information” after the meeting on Tuesday.
The Georgia congresswoman said last week she was moving ahead with her ouster effort despite pushback from many Republicans and a statement from Democrats that they would step in to help save Johnson.
Greene has criticized Johnson for working with Democrats on several key pieces of legislation — including keeping the government open and providing foreign aid. Johnson has fought back, saying he’s a lifelong Republican, but must do his job to serve the entire House with an extremely thin Republican majority.
“I would really like to advance much more of our conservative policy on a daily basis here. But the reality is we are working with the smallest majority in U.S. history with a one-vote margin,” Johnson said.
ABC News’ Lauren Peller, John Parkinson and Arthur Jones II contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie met privately on Monday, amid Greene’s looming threat to try to oust him.
Emerging from a nearly two-hour meeting inside the speaker’s office, Greene said on camera they will have another meeting with Johnson on Tuesday morning.
“I just want to thank you all for waiting — we just had a very long discussion with the speaker. We are going to be meeting again tomorrow based on the discussion that we’ve had. And so, we really don’t have any news to report at this time,” Greene said.
When pressed by ABC’s Rachel Scott if Greene still plans to move forward with a motion to vacate, the congresswoman said: “Again, we had a very long discussion with Speaker Johnson. We will be meeting with him again tomorrow based on the discussion that we had and then I’ll have more information for you.”
Asked again if she plans to force a vote on a motion to vacate, Greene said: “I have been patient. I have been diligent. I have been steady. And I have been focused on the facts. And none of that has changed.”
Greene said the meeting Monday afternoon was about “ways to move forward for a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.”
Johnson said he had “a lengthy, constructive meeting” with Greene and Massie this afternoon.
“We have discussed some ideas, and we are going to meet again tomorrow,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he told Greene and Massie he understands their frustration, saying, “I would really like to advance much more of our conservative policy on a daily basis here. But the reality is we are working with the smallest majority in U.S. history with a one-vote margin.”
“We are going to keep this team together and work for the American people,” Johnson added.
The meeting comes as Greene has said she will force a vote to remove Johnson from the leadership post this week.
The timing of when Greene plans to trigger the motion to vacate, however, remains unclear. The House will hold votes later Monday evening, after which Greene could act on the motion, though she’s made no announcements.
The Georgia congresswoman said last week she was moving ahead with her ouster effort despite pushback from many Republicans and a statement from Democrats that they would step in to help save Johnson.
“Mike Johnson is not capable of that job,” Greene said in a fiery press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on May 1 alongside her co-sponsor Massie of Kentucky. “He has proven that over and over again.”
Greene and Massie continued their criticisms of Johnson publicly on social media on Monday.
“This week we vote on whether Mike Johnson should remain as Speaker,” Massie said in a statement on X. “If you’re happy with what he’s done this year and if you’re looking forward to what he will do the remainder of the year, you should join the Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries in supporting Mike Johnson.”
Greene has dangled the motion to vacate the speaker’s chair for more than a month. Johnson’s defended himself from her criticism — namely that he’s worked with Democrats to keep the government open, provide foreign aid and more — by emphasizing that he’s a lifelong Republican, but must do his job to serve the entire House with an extremely thin Republican majority.
“This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country,” Johnson said last week of the ouster threat.
Johnson also received a boost over the weekend from former President Donald Trump, who brought Johnson on stage at the Republican Nation Committee’s spring retreat luncheon at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump praised Johnson “for his leadership and work in the US House,” emphasizing “the need for party unity, collaboration, and expanding the GOP’s House Majority,” according to Trump’s campaign.
Last week, Greene denied she was defying Trump in pushing ahead against Johnson.
“I’m the biggest supporter of President Trump and that’s why I fight every single day. And that’s why I’m fighting here against my own Republican conference to fight harder against the Democrats,” she told ABC News Correspondent Elizabeth Schulze.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will deliver a major speech denouncing antisemitism on Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol.
The remarks are part of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum ceremony marking the Days of Remembrance to honor the memory of the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust as well as other victims of Nazi persecution.
“He will speak to the horrors of Oct. 7 when Hamas unleashed the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday. “And he will speak to how since Oct. 7, we’ve seen an alarming rise in antisemitism in the U.S. in our cities or communities and our campuses.”
Jean-Pierre also said Biden will highlight his administration’s national strategy to counter antisemitism and protect Jewish Americans.
Biden’s high-profile address comes at a fraught political moment, as a possible Israeli invasion of Rafah looms and college protests against the war in Gaza are unfolding across the U.S.
The president’s faced heavy criticism from Republicans over the campus unrest, with many conservative lawmakers blasting his response as insufficient. Overall, GOP lawmakers have seized on the protests to further their narrative of “chaos” under the Biden administration and to show their strong support for Israel.
The White House has pushed back on GOP assertions Biden hasn’t condemned antisemitism forcefully enough, arguing he’s done more on the issue than any other president.
Last week, Biden spoke out in an address from the White House against violent and antisemitic incidents at some colleges and universities, saying hate speech of any kind is “wrong” and “un-American.” He also used the remarks to emphasis the right to free speech and peaceful protest.
Meanwhile, he faces a divided Democratic caucus when it comes to the Israel-Hamas war. Biden’s tried to balance unwavering support for Israel’s security with sympathy for Palestinians killed and suffering in Gaza, though he’s faced protesters at various events who’ve called him “Genocide Joe.”
Since Oct. 7, Israeli military operations have killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza and injured more than 78,000 others, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. At least 1,700 Israelis have been killed and 8,700 others injured by Hamas or other Palestinian militants, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We understand how painful this is for many, many communities,” Jean-Pierre said during Monday’s press briefing.
“The president understands how important this moment is,” she continued when asked about how he is preparing for Tuesday’s speech. “And I would say this is a president that tends to meet the moment when it comes to speeches and remarks like these. He understands what’s going on, has his fingers on the pulse in terms of what people are feeling.”
(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will meet privately on Monday, sources told ABC News, amid Greene’s looming threat to try to oust him.
The one-on-one meeting, slated for 3:30 p.m. ET, comes as Greene has said she will force a vote to remove Johnson from the leadership post this week.
The timing of when Greene plans to trigger the motion to vacate, however, remains unclear. The House will hold votes later Monday evening, after which Greene could act on the motion, though she’s made no announcements.
The Georgia congresswoman said last week she was moving ahead with her ouster effort despite pushback from many Republicans and a statement from Democrats that they would step in to help save Johnson.
“Mike Johnson is not capable of that job,” Greene said in a fiery press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on May 1 alongside her co-sponsor Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. “He has proven that over and over again.”
Greene and Massie continued their criticisms of Johnson publicly on social media on Monday.
“This week we vote on whether Mike Johnson should remain as Speaker,” Massie said in a statement on X. “If you’re happy with what he’s done this year and if you’re looking forward to what he will do the remainder of the year, you should join the Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries in supporting Mike Johnson.”
Greene has dangled the motion to vacate the speaker’s chair for more than a month. Johnson’s defended himself from her criticism — namely that he’s worked with Democrats to keep the government open, provide foreign aid and more — by emphasizing that he’s a lifelong Republican, but must do his job to serve the entire House with an extremely thin Republican majority.
“This motion is wrong for the Republican Conference, wrong for the institution, and wrong for the country,” Johnson said last week of the ouster threat.
Johnson also received a boost over the weekend from former President Donald Trump, who brought Johnson on stage at the Republican Nation Committee’s spring retreat luncheon at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump praised Johnson “for his leadership and work in the US House,” emphasizing “the need for party unity, collaboration, and expanding the GOP’s House Majority,” according to Trump’s campaign.
Last week, Greene denied she was defying Trump in pushing ahead against Johnson.
“I’m the biggest supporter of President Trump and that’s why I fight every single day. And that’s why I’m fighting here against my own Republican conference to fight harder against the Democrats,” she told ABC News Correspondent Elizabeth Schulze.
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler and Soorin Kim contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, a White House official told ABC News.
The call comes as an Israeli invasion of Rafah appears imminent, despite opposition from the United States and other nations due to concerns over the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Israel Defense Forces on Monday urged 100,000 people in the southern Gaza city to evacuate and dropped flyers warning of danger. More than 1.4 million Palestinians are thought to be sheltering in Rafah in the wake of Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
In their conversation on Monday, Biden was likely to reiterate his administration’s objection to a large-scale offensive — as he did the last time he spoke with Netanyahu on April 28.
“We don’t want to see a major ground operation in Rafah,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters last week. “Certainly, we don’t want to see operations that haven’t factored in the safety and security of those 1.5 million folks trying to seek refuge down there. And we conveyed that to our Israeli counterparts certainly privately, absolutely publicly, and nothing’s changed about that.”
The White House also said last week it had not seen a comprehensive plan for protecting civilians if Israel’s military were to move into Rafah — a plan U.S. officials have repeatedly called for.
Still, Netanyahu has pledged to go into Rafah in order to root out the Hamas terrorist group.
“We will destroy the Hamas battalions there, we will complete all the objectives of the war, including the repatriation of all our hostages,” Netanyahu said last week.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday that Israel believed it had “no choice” but to forge ahead with an offensive in Rafah.
Strikes have intensified in Rafah and surrounding areas in recent days.
At least four Israeli soldiers were killed and 10 others were injured in a rocket attack on the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Sunday that was orchestrated by Hamas, the IDF said. In response, Israel closed the crossing, one critical to delivering humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians.
At least 12 Palestinians were killed in IDF strikes on Rafah on Sunday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Israel’s military said it continued strikes on Monday on “terror targets” and military structures.
Meanwhile, cease-fire talks in Cairo over the weekend stalled with no resolution. Hamas is demanding a permanent end to the war in exchange for any hostage deal — something Israel has said it won’t accept.
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler and Joseph Simonetti contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Locked in a tight race for the presidency, Donald Trump prevails in trust to handle most issues in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, yet President Joe Biden scores competitively on key personal attributes — leaving wide open the question of who’ll prevail come Election Day, now six months away.
Excluding people who say they wouldn’t vote, Trump has 46% support, Biden 44%, in this national survey of more than 2,200 adults. (Nearly all the rest say they’d pick someone else.) Among registered voters, it’s Biden 46%, Trump 45%. Among likely voters, it’s Biden 49%, Trump 45%, again not a significant difference.
A five-way contest doesn’t change the picture in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates with fieldwork by Ipsos. This finds the race at 42% for Trump and 40% for Biden, with 12% for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 2% for Cornel West and 1% for Jill Stein. (That, of course, assumes Kennedy, West and Stein are on the ballot in all states, an open question.) Among registered voters in the five-way race, it’s 42-42%, Biden-Trump, and Biden is a non-significant +3 or +4 points in likely voter models.
Kennedy gets 12% even though 77% of his supporters say they know “just some” or “hardly anything” about his positions on the issues. Notably, his supporters are more apt to be Republicans or GOP-leaning independents (54%) than Democrats and Democratic leaners (42%, a slight difference given sample sizes), and in a two-way race, they favor Trump over Biden by 13 points. That may explain why Trump attacked Kennedy as a stalking horse in social media posts last week.
Another result finds a potential risk for Trump in his current trial in New York on charges of falsifying business records to hide a payoff to a pornographic actress who says they had sex, which he denies. Eighty percent of Trump’s supporters say they’d stick with him even if he’s convicted of a felony in this case. But that leaves 20% who say they’d either reconsider their support (16%) or withdraw it (4%) — easily enough to matter in a close race.
That said, a chief question raised by the survey is why Biden is competitive at all, given his substantial disadvantages. Just 35% of Americans approve of his job performance, with 57% disapproving; that’s 2 points from his career low in approval in January and well below the level historically associated with reelection. Forty-three percent say they’ve gotten worse off financially under his presidency. An overwhelming 81% say he’s too old for another term. Trump easily outpoints him in perceived mental sharpness and physical health.
Trump, moreover, leads in trust to handle six of 10 issues tested in the survey, with Biden ahead in just two. That includes, for Trump, the three most-cited issues in importance — the economy, on which he has a 14-point advantage; inflation, again 14 points; and crime and safety, 8 points. He tops out with a 17-point lead in trust to handle immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border and leads by 8 points in trust to handle the war between Israel and Hamas and 7 points on “America’s standing in the world.” Biden’s leads are on abortion access (+12, but comparatively low-rated as an issue) and health care, +5.
It’s also the case that Biden lacks traditional Democratic advantages among young adults and Hispanic people, and he’s about 20 points weaker among Black people under age 50 than among those 50 and older. But he and Trump run essentially evenly, 42-40%, among independents, who are swing voters in most presidential elections; Biden leads by 11 points among moderates; and among those who have held steady financially — not gaining ground but at least not losing it — he’s up by a broad 66-21%.
Other factors help explain why, despite his weaknesses, Biden is in the game. He leads by 16 points on one important personal attribute, being seen as honest and trustworthy, and is about tied with Trump on two others — representing your personal values (Biden +3) and understanding the problems of people like you (Biden +1). And while neither is popular, more people see Biden favorably as a person, 40%, than see Trump favorably, 33%.
Further, substantial numbers of Americans don’t trust either candidate to handle the issues tested in the survey — and among them, in most albeit not all cases, Biden leads. For instance, among the 14% who don’t trust either to handle the economy (excluding nonvoters), Biden has 49% support, Trump 13%. (The rest mainly pick someone else.) In other examples, Biden leads by 45 points among those who don’t trust either candidate on immigration and by 35 points among those who don’t trust either on inflation.
On personal attributes, among those who don’t think either candidate has the mental sharpness it takes to serve effectively — about three in 10 adults — Biden leads Trump by 63-15%. It’s a similar result among those who don’t think either has the physical health to serve. On the other hand, Trump leads by about as wide a margin among those who don’t think either is honest and trustworthy.
Additionally, while eight in 10 see Biden as too old to serve another term, a smaller majority, 55%, says the same about Trump. And Biden wins 39% support even from those who say he’s too old; Trump gets less support, 25%, among those who say this about him.
Nonetheless, results on “double-haters” are mixed. Among people who have unfavorable views of both candidates — a more Republican group — Trump leads Biden, 48 to 26%. But among those who disapprove of the work both have done during their presidencies — a more Democratic group — Biden leads with a similar margin, 48-21%.
In any case, it’s certainly a match between unpopular figures. More people see Biden as a person unfavorably than favorably, 40-51%, favorable-unfavorable. But Trump’s score, as noted, is worse, 33-58%. And 44% see Trump strongly unfavorably, 10 points more than say the same for Biden.
Trump pushes back with a better retrospective job approval rating, 44-50%, approve-disapprove, than Biden has today. And among Trump’s supporters, 55% back him strongly, vs. 44% strong support for Biden among his supporters.
History
From a historical perspective, Biden has a hill to climb, but not an impossible one. In data since the Truman administration, three presidents with underwater approval ratings in the spring before Election Day won a second term — Barack Obama in 2012, George W. Bush in 2004 and Harry S. Truman in 1948. Obama and Bush both bottomed out in this period at 47%, Truman at 36%, compared with Biden’s 35% today.
Of course, historical precedents go only so far, as demonstrated by the 2022 midterms, when the Democrats fared much better than Biden’s weak approval rating would have suggested.
Groups
Focusing on the two-way Biden-Trump race, results show the pull of partisanship and ideology. Eighty-eight percent of Democrats support Biden; 90% of Republicans are for Trump. (Nine percent of Democrats defect to Trump, while fewer Republicans, 5%, jump to Biden.) Independents, as mentioned, divide essentially evenly. In exit polls, the candidate who won independents has won the election in nine out of the last 12 presidential contests (all but in 2012, 2004 and 1976).
As reported Friday, liberals are more apt than others to say the United States is doing too much to support Israel and too little to help protect Palestinian civilians. Yet that doesn’t appear to move many votes: 84% of liberals support Biden (vs. 8% for Trump). Across the spectrum, 82% of conservatives prefer Trump (vs. 10% for Biden). Biden leads among moderates, 50-39%, though that’s weaker for him than in 2020.
Voters age 18-29 divide 43-48%, Biden-Trump; the difference is not statistically significant given the sample size, and it’s a far worse result for Biden than the typical Democratic advantage in this group. The same is true for Hispanic people, dividing 46-42%. And while Biden has 74% support from Black people, this, too, is off the usual Democratic lead in this group.
Few Black people, 13%, back Trump; as many pick someone else. But there’s a notable age gap: Black people age 50 and older support Biden over Trump by 85-5%. Among those younger than 50, it’s 64-20%.
There’s no significant gap between Black men and women. But there is a gender gap overall, with Trump up 9 points among men, Biden a non-significant 4 points among women. Among men aged 18-29, 54% back Trump, compared with 41% of women that age.
Biden is +6 points among seniors — also non-significant, but a group Trump won by single digits in 2020. In rural areas, a GOP stronghold, Biden picks up 35% from women, vs. 25% from men. At the same time, in urban areas, a Democratic bastion, Trump wins 40% of men, vs. 30% of women.
There’s a big gap by education, with Biden +19 points among college graduates, Trump +15 among non-grads. Trump has 79% support among evangelical white Protestants, a GOP mainstay and a key source of his strength in the primaries. And it’s a 46-45% race in the seven expected swing states, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Likely voters
The poll tests a few versions of likely voters, e.g., those who say they are registered to vote or will register and are certain to vote in November; and those who fit that definition and also say they voted in 2020, if old enough to have done so.
Trump is +2 points among all adults (excluding nonvoters) while Biden is +4 among likely voters. While neither is a statistically significant difference, the reason for the Biden bump is that more educated people are more likely to vote, and, as noted, Biden leads Trump by 19 points among college graduates. Among all adults in the survey, 35% have a college degree. Among likely voters, it’s 45%.
Other issues
The poll checked in on other issues; among them:
— Support for abortion rights remains widespread: Americans by 66-32% oppose the U.S. Supreme Court decision that did away with the constitutional right to abortion and by essentially the same margin say their own state should allow access to abortion in all or most cases.
— Biden’s executive orders to forgive student loan debt get a mixed to negative reception: 42% say he’s doing too much in this regard, 22% too little and 34% the right amount. Among those younger than 40, 30% say he’s doing too much to forgive these loans; this jumps to 53% of those age 50 and older.
— Thirty-nine percent call it highly important to them whom Biden picks as his running mate; 35% say the same for Trump. Overall, 54% say Biden should replace Kamala Harris as his choice for vice president; among Democrats, however, 76% say he should keep Harris. It’s about the same among Biden supporters.
— Eighty percent call undocumented immigration a problem nationally, including 54% who call it a major problem. Locally, in their own community, many fewer call it a problem, 46%, or a major problem, 22%. It’s seen as a problem locally, and a major problem nationally, particularly by Republicans and conservatives.
— Passage of a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine did not substantially impact attitudes on the subject. Thirty-nine percent of Americans say the United States is doing too much to help Ukraine, up 5 points from January but about the same as it was last fall. Twenty percent say the United States is doing too little; 39%, the right amount — both essentially unchanged.
Methodology
This ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted online via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel® April 25-30, 2024, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 2,260 adults. Partisan divisions are 31% Democrats, 29% Republicans and 28% independents. Results have a margin of sampling error of 2 percentage points, including the design effect, for the full sample. Sampling error is not the only source of differences in polls.
The survey was produced by Langer Research Associates, with sampling and data collection by Ipsos. See details on ABC News survey methodology here.
